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Tuesday, 26 December 2017

“The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea, and sky, and their amazing life.” (Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder)

MoviesKlamath – “Ancient forests of the Klamath Mountains survive as a vivid living window into life’s long history on earth. They are one of a few remaining in the world home to great troves of the ideas life has conjured over 3.8 billion years of evolution.”
Watch online (55 minutes): KS Film or Vimeo

Forest Man – “Majuli islander Jadav Payeng has been planting trees in order to save his island. To date he has single handedly planted a forest larger than Central Park NYC. His forest has transformed what was once a barren wasteland into a lush oasis.”
Watch online (16 minutes) on YouTube

Christmas tree worms filter out tiny plants and animals by pumping water up and over their crowns

Changing the World - Through Science, Art, and ConversationCitizen Science
Submit a photograph and iNaturalist can now help you identify over 20,000 species. Got one that stumps the computer? That’s great as it will help increase the system’s capacity.

London’s Natural History Museum has been collecting specimens for over 250 years and has about 35 million insects in its collection. They’ve developed Inselect, software that rapidly catalogues and categorizes images digitally. It’s open source and available for anyone to use.

Disruptive ArtistsFaviana Rodriguez: “Artists help us imagine how things can look different and they can help tell a story of the future. . . . Problems are often a consequence of habit and of systemic ways of working. Artists can disrupt those habits or those systemic ways by showing complexity and by actually shining a light on what’s really happening, which helps people change focus.”

Hold a PartyClimate for Change is an Australian not-for-profit helping “people who care about climate change have better discussions about why they care with the people they care about.” Hosts invite friends to a conversation with a trained facilitator and guests are invited to take action against climate change. One conversation leads to another.

Tuesday, 19 December 2017

Upcoming EventsWildlife Photography (webinar)
John Marriott, wildlife photographer, talks about ethics, advocacy, and his new book, Tall Tales, Long Lenses: My Adventures in Photography, on a Fur-Bearers’ webinar.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Wishing all of you a happy, fun holiday season with lots of time spent out of doors enjoying nature.

Next Tuesday we’ll bring you our Boxing Day Specials - a round-up of unexpected stories, books, movies, and more to stimulate your imagination. EcoSask News will be back in 2018.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Sunday, 17 December 2017

In the past 20 years, night-time light emissions in North America and Europe have increased by 70%. The Milky Way and the Northern Lights are lost to large percentages of the world’s population due to reflected light from homes, businesses, and streets.

As unfortunate as that is, the loss of the dark has far more serious consequences for both human and animal health.

Health Risks
Here are just a few examples of the impact of light pollution on humans and other animals:

Artificial light lures moths and other night-time insect pollinators away from plants. A recent trial found that light exposure reduced the number of pollinator visits by 62% with 29% fewer species coming to the lighted areas (1).

Almost all small rodents and carnivores and 20% of primates are nocturnal (3). Light pollution increases their mortality rates as they have difficulty foraging, can be detected more easily by predators, and have a harder time getting away because their vision is impaired (2).

Many birds migrate at night using the stars to navigate. Pulled off course due to light pollution or killed in collisions with lighted buildings, many of them never reach their destination.

Female sea turtles, who like to nest on dark, remote beaches, are deterred from laying eggs. The young hatchlings normally head towards the ocean and away from the dark land mass. Millions die each year when they become confused by the bright lights and crawl towards the city instead of the water (2).

Disruption of the normal rhythm of light and dark has a significant impact on human health: “Disruption of the circadian clock is linked to several medical disorders in humans, including depression, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, says Paolo Sassone-Corsi, chairman of the Pharmacology Department at the University of California, Irvine, who has done extensive research on the circadian clock. ‘Studies show that the circadian cycle controls from ten to fifteen percent of our genes,’ he explains. ‘So the disruption of the circadian cycle can cause a lot of health problems” (3).

Two Israeli studies show a statistically significant correlation between outdoor artificial light at night and breast cancer (3).

LED Lighting Increases Light Pollution
Greater use of LED lighting has significantly increased light pollution:

Short-wave LED lighting has greatly increased the amount of light scattered by the atmosphere, causing a glow over areas with little or no lighting (4).

LED lights use just a fraction of the electricity required by incandescent bulbs and last much longer. As a result, “decreases in cost allow increased use of light in areas that were previously unlit, moderately lit, or lit only during the early evening hours” (4).

“LED light bulbs are increasing light pollution because, since they require less electricity to create the same amount of light, people are installing more and more of them. ‘We’ll light something that we didn’t light before, like a bicycle path through a park or a section of highway leading outside of town that in the past wasn’t lit,’ lead author Chris Kyba, a physicist at the German Research Center for Geosciences, said to Phys.org. ‘And so all of those new uses of light offset, to some extent, the savings that you had” (5).

We assume that increased efficiency will lead to decreased demand, but that’s not the case. For example, consumers tend to travel more when they have fuel-efficient cars (6). Research has shown that, “Regardless of historical or geographical context, humans tend to use as much artificial light as they can buy for ~0.7% of GDP” (4).

There are Solutions
“We could instantly reduce the problem by about half if we assured that all outdoor lighting fixtures were fully shielded, meaning that they emitted no light directly above the horizon. . . . We could then further reduce the amount of light pollution in the world if fixtures were properly designed and installed such that the light they emit was confined to the task area, and provided in no greater intensity than needed to safely illuminate the task. Lastly, we could reduce the biological harm of our lights by ensuring that they emit as little short-wavelength (blue) light as possible, by choosing ‘warmer’ lamps,” says John Barentine, the resident physical scientist for the International Dark-Sky Association (7).

A great deal of the responsibility for reducing light pollution belongs with individual property owners. The International Dark Sky Association provides some useful tips when selecting night sky-friendly light fixtures (8).

Snowlandia, Feb. 20-23 (Saskatoon)
Wildernook is offering Snowlandia, an opportunity for young women ages 10-12 to be active outdoors during the winter break from Feb. 20-23.Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Apr. 13 (Saskatoon)
Spend an evening watching awe-inspiring short films dedicated to showcasing the natural world when Saskatoon Search and Rescue hosts the Best of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival on Apr. 13.

Meewasin Valley Authority has received generous funding support from the City of Saskatoon and has begun discussions with the University of Saskatchewan and the Province of Saskatchewan. The proposals are based on the needs of each partner and the efficiencies that can be gained by working together rather than independently. You can support Meewasin’s efforts by contacting your MLA and thanking the City of Saskatoon.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Sustainable Solid Waste Management Workshop, Dec. 15 (Regina)
There will be a workshop on sustainable solid waste management in the RIC Atrium, University of Regina from 12-1 pm, Dec. 15. For more information, contact RPIRG.

Newly Protected Grasslands Near DundurnNature Conservancy of Canada has purchased a 65-hectare site near Dundurn consisting of rolling hills made from old sand dunes, which are covered by aspen trees, shrubs, wet meadows, and native grasslands. Several important species can be found on the site, including hairy prairie-clover. Wildlife includes white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, and olive-backed pocket mouse.

In the News
The Province of Saskatchewan has increased its list of electronics that can be recycled to include: countertop microwave ovens, desktop and portable scanners, floor-standing printers, external storage drives and modems, game consoles (including hand-held and accessories), e-book readers, and portable and vehicle (after-market) GPS systems.

The company building the Nutana condo has been asked to keep bird safety in mind. Meewasin Valley Authority will provide them with guidelines. One MVA board member noted that other buildings, such as the towers at River Landing, pose an even greater risk as they have unbroken walls of glass.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include.You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Christmas Bird Counts for KidsDecember 28 – Saskatoon
Saskatoon Zoo Society is hosting a Christmas Bird Count for Kids at Pike Lake Provincial Park. No registration is necessary. Meet at the Pike Lake Visitor Centre. At the top of each hour between 11 am and 4 pm, participants will go for a short (20-30 minutes) bird walk and then head back to the Centre to warm up with hot chocolate and cookies. No binoculars? No problem – some will be available to borrow.

January 6 – Regina
Nature Saskatchewan is hosting a Christmas Bird Count for Kids in Wascana Park from 1-4 pm, Jan. 6. There will be a live burrowing owl presentation, snacks and hot chocolate. RSVP to Lacey (306-780-9481, lweekes@naturesask.ca).

Fetch your own Christmas Tree, Dec. 9 (near Alvena)
A former owner of the Nature Conservancy’s Messier property planted spruce trees, but they’re not native to this area and their presence could have a negative impact on the native habitat. You’re invited to come and chop down your own Christmas tree from 1-3 pm, Dec. 9.Nature Regina Christmas Social, Dec. 11 (Regina) Nature Regina is holding a Christmas Social with members’ photos at 7 pm, Dec. 11.

Wascana Family Play Day, Dec. 16 (Regina)
Bring the family to Wascana Marsh from 2-4 pm, Dec. 16, for a Family Play Day organized by SaskOutdoors.

Kids in Nature Grant (Saskatoon)
The Saskatoon Nature Society is now taking applications for their Kids in Nature Grant. The grant was established to strengthen existing programs and encourage new initiatives that connect youth in the Saskatoon area with nature. The application deadline is December 31, 2017. Information and applications are available on the Saskatoon Nature Society website.

What if we banned cars in cities?“It’s not just about banning cars. Cities also have to help their citizens live without a car. This means they must approve taller buildings, get rid of parking minimums, and expand public transit options. Build rail instead of roads. Turn gas stations into bike kiosks. Convert parking lots to sidewalks. Provide a fleet of low-speed zero-emission vehicles (like golf carts!) to make deliveries and help residents get around. And introduce better technology solutions to help everyone navigate the city more efficiently.”

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Thursday, 23 November 2017

Dr. Branimir Gjetvaj is a biologist, internationally published environmental photographer, and president of Nature Saskatchewan. He and Trevor Herriot recently published Islands of Grass, sharing the wonder and importance of Saskatchewan’s grasslands.

Branimir Gjetvaj moved to Saskatchewan 19 years ago, and his first big trip was to Grasslands National Park. The vast open spaces took him by surprise: “Saskatchewan is so sparsely populated. There are places where you never see a house. You have a view out to the horizon, and the air is so clear.”

Branimir grew up in Croatia and has fond memories of hiking and skiing in the mountains with his parents. There was a ravine close to his home in Zagreb with a little stream, grassy slopes, and trees. As a child, he would explore this jungle, jumping from tree to tree like Tarzan. “I would immerse myself in it. It was my whole world,” he says.

Branimir joined his high school’s photography club, taking black and white photographs using the school darkroom. A trip to England when he was 16 or 17 motivated him to start taking lots of photographs as a way to record his memories. Photography was again a tool for exploring and experiencing new surroundings when Branimir moved to Nova Scotia as a Master’s student 30 years ago.

Branimir’s interest in nature photography was stimulated by university lectures by Vladimir Pfeifer, a Croatian nature and wildlife photographer. With limited equipment at first, it was tricky to take photographs of wild animals. However, over time, Branimir developed his skills, learning by trial and error, studying books of other people’s photographs, and looking to painters for inspiration.

When taking photographs, Branimir likes to focus on a particular project. A decision to document biodiversity hotspots in Saskatchewan led to a series of photographs of Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Saskatchewan properties when they were celebrating their 50th anniversary as well as participation in Meet Your Neighbours. An interest in the Great Sand Hills led to the publication of his first book, The Great Sand Hills: A Prairie Oasis.

When the federal government started to dismantle the PFRA community pastures system in 2012, Branimir decided to take photographs of the pastures and the ranching way of life linked to them, and he approached Trevor Herriot to see if he’d be interested in working on a book. As the project got underway, the two men expanded their focus to Canadian grasslands as a whole and did a lot of fieldwork together in 2015.

“Trevor knows a lot about the history of the prairies and families with long connections to the Prairies,” Branimir says. “I was intrigued to discover the diversity of human connections to the pastures – historically, culturally, and continuing to the present day.”

Islands of Grass required a great deal of effort. The fieldwork was carried out over an extended period of time, but processing the photographs was intense. Branimir spent 5-6 hours a day for 4-5 weeks processing the images and preparing them for the press until he was happy with the way they turned out.

Branimir feels a deep responsibility to reach as many people as he can through his photography. “People have heard all the rational arguments; they just zone out. It’s easier to advance conservation if you impact their feelings and behaviours. There is so much beauty on the prairies that people aren’t aware of. They rarely venture outside cities to experience the natural landscape that’s rapidly disappearing around us. We hope to motivate people to explore the grasslands and see their beauty for themselves.”

Islands of Grass emphasizes the importance of the prairies to ranchers who depend upon it for their living, demonstrating the possibilities for a positive relationship with nature. “Everywhere you go, people have left their mark,” Branimir says. “I want to take more photographs showing how people connect with nature and involve people as part of saving nature.”

Want to be a conservation photographer?
If you’re interested in developing and using your nature photography skills for a greater good, Branimir suggests working with local conservation organizations that are always in need of good-quality photographs.

“Conservation photography doesn’t pay well,” Branimir says, “but amateur photographers can play a valuable role by working with local organizations in motivating people to go out and experience nature and by supporting particular projects.” Branimir says there’s no money in it but lots of personal satisfaction. You’ll have easier access to the sites and support from the NGOs.

Wymark Wind Project Open House, Nov. 29 (Swift Current)
ENGIE Canada Inc. is holding an open house from 4-8 pm, Nov. 29, in the Chinook Golf Course restaurant to solicit feedback on their plans for the Wymark Wind Project, 25 km southeast of Swift Current.

Benchlands Wind Project Open House, Nov. 30 (Gull Lake)
ENGIE Canada Inc. is holding an open house from 4-8 pm, Nov. 30, in the Gull Lake Community Hall to solicit feedback on their plans for the Benchlands Wind Project, 80 km southwest of Swift Current.

“A coal phase-out is not only attainable but an imperative for better health and climate change mitigation, and the longer the province puts off planning for this inevitable transition the more difficult it is going to be.” (Climate Justice Saskatoon)

Armchair ecotourism:“For no reason that I can describe, I have a deep yearning to visit the desert south of Arizona. However, this would involve an 11-hour flight each way – bypassing so many other places en route – and then lots of driving, and I'd be exerting ecological pressure on an ecosystem from which it would be unfair to expect support for large numbers of non-desert humans. So I've opted, instead, for an armchair surrogate in the form of second-hand copy of the Time-Life natural history book Cactus Country.”

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Upcoming EventsIslands of Grass (various)Islands of Grass by Branimir Gjetvaj and Trevor Herriot will be launched Nov. 14 and 15 in Regina and Saskatoon respectively. Trevor Herriot will be speaking at a number of additional events on Nov. 16, Nov. 18, and Nov. 20. Both Branimir and Trevor will be presenting at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Saskatoon on Nov. 21. Check the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar for full details.

Disruptive Innovation Festival, Nov. 6-24 (online)
The online Disruptive Innovation Festival, Nov. 6-24, asks what if we could re-design everything. Topics include the circular economy, regenerative agriculture, using fungus to destroy plastic waste, and much more.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Quartet for the End of Time, Nov. 12 (Saskatoon)
The Elixir Ensemble, with Margaret Wilson, clarinetist, will perform the Quartet for the End of Time at 2:30 pm, Nov. 12. This piece of music was the first attempt to compose music based on an analysis and adaptation of the structure and rhythms of birdsong.

Water Management & Species at Risk, Nov. 16 (Saskatoon)
Michael Pollock, Saskatoon Water Security Agency, will discuss the responses of birds and other vertebrates to changing water levels and relate these to balancing the needs of wildlife, including endangered species, with the needs of farmers and municipalities at risk of flooding at the Nov. 16 meeting of the Saskatoon Nature Society.

“The breadth and depth of the climate change issue is such that no one policy instrument is sufficient to meet Canada’s 2030 GHG reduction target. There is no magic bullet,” said Dale Eisler, co-author of a new report on climate change in Saskatchewan.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Thursday, 2 November 2017

A school, a youth club, and a community are doing their best to reduce waste in Saskatchewan, with a little help from an EcoFriendly Action Grant.

Boys & Girls Club of Yorkton
The staff at the Boys & Girls Club of Yorkton are passionate about making a difference and in fostering that passion in children and youth as they grow. With over 15,000 visits to the club each year, Program Manager Erin Roussin saw an opportunity to incorporate environmental education into their summer program, which includes week-long day camps for 5-12 year olds and drop-in evening programs for middle-years youth and teens.

The Club received a $500 EcoFriendly Action Grant to educate the children and youth on reducing, re-using, and recycling and the difference this will make to the environment. In addition to immediate efforts at waste reduction, Erin believes the project will have a long-term impact: “Children and youth being educated on important topics will carry on with them through life as they will have the knowledge and tools needed to make a difference.”

The program ran for 9 weeks over the summer and included:

The purchase of 3 sets of stacking recycle bins to encourage recycling of a variety of materials;

The purchase of recycle bags for bagging up items for pick-up;

Entries into a draw for prizes every time a student brought a litterless lunch (no waste/Ziploc bags);

Crafts using only recycled items;

An outdoor garbage clean-up; and

Talks about topics such as reducing water usage, recycling, and the impact we can all have on our environment.

There's no waste in this lunch bag!

Blaine Lake Composite School Blaine Lake Composite School is initiating a daily full breakfast program. In order to reduce waste, they received a $500 EcoFriendly Action Grant to purchase non-disposable cutlery and an environmentally friendly dishwasher.

They plan to minimize food waste and environmental impact through careful meal planning with the students in their Commercial Cooking classes, by sourcing local ingredients whenever possible, and by only using reusable dishes and utensils. They will recycle all applicable materials.

Odessa Recreation Association Odessa is a small community of 250 people southeast of Regina. They were already recycling paper, but their active volunteer base identified a need for additional recycling bins so that they could recycle cans and plastic as well.

The Odessa Recreation Association received a $500 EcoFriendly Action grant to purchase recycling bins. They’ll be located at the rink during the winter and will be moved to the community centre in the summer. They’ll also be made available at the annual truck and tractor pull, which is a community fundraiser.

Tuesday, 31 October 2017

Upcoming EventsSkills for Social Change, Nov. 1-30 (Saskatoon)
Next Up Saskatchewan and community partners are presenting a series of free workshops on Skills for Social Change in November. These include Understanding Social Change (Nov. 1), Organizing Using Social Media (Nov. 8), and Your Message and the Media (Nov. 22).

Islands of Grass Book Launch, Nov. 14 & 15 (Regina & Saskatoon)
Trevor Herriot and Branimir Gjetvaj’s new book, Islands of Grass, will be launched in Regina at 7 pm, Nov. 14, at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, and in Saskatoon at 7 pm, Nov. 15, at the Alice Turner Branch Library. Both launches will include an introduction by classical guitarist Ed Rodger and a reading by author David Carpenter.

Household Hazardous Waste Survey, Dec. 15
The Government of Saskatchewan is requesting public feedback on a recycling program for household hazardous waste in Saskatchewan. The online survey is open until Dec. 15.

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About

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

EcoFriendly Sask strives to inform, encourage, and support Saskatchewan environmental initiatives. As a small, personal undertaking, we provide an online publication as well as grants to support local environmental projects. The Calendar page lists upcoming events, and we maintain the conversation on Twitter, or like our Facebook.

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $500 to support local projects that will benefit the environment.